FORT HOOD, Texas - June is the birth month of the Army, and it is also the birthday for one of Fort Hood's largest brigades. It was 1917 when the Army created the 1st Medical Group and placed it under the 1st Armored Division in France. In June 2000 the unit was re-designated to brigade status.

Today, the 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) is made up of more than 4,000 Soldiers serving at six Army installations across four states. The brigade headquarters at Hood celebrated its 10th birthday and the 93 years since its inception June 4.

The provisional commander, Lt. Col. Lee Roupe, and the youngest Silver Knight Soldier, Pvt. Anne Lauren Kowalcyzk of the 28th Veterinarian Medical Detachment, joined together with a sword to symbolically slice the unit's birthday cake.

Roupe highlighted the unit's importance and reflected on the impact the unit has had on his Soldiers' lives and those they have helped.

"Birthdays represent the very date that marks the arrival of someone into this world and that each of us come into this world for a reason," said Roupe. "That reason is to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. The Soldiers who were and are a part of the 1st Medical Brigade have made such a difference in this world."

Roupe said that the impact of the Silver Knight Brigade is felt by Soldiers across the U.S. Army, both at home in garrison and in forward deployed areas.

"We are a professional group of health care providers who live up to our motto of preserving life with fortitude and compassion," said Roupe. "We provide an array of medical care ranging from major surgery to simply handing a Soldiers' aspirin - to veterinarian and preventive support."

1st Med. Bde. Soldiers also assist in ambulatory missions for Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Hood. Roupe said that those are just a few of the many things his troops support at the installations they operate at.

"I'm extraordinarily proud to be part of this brigade. I have an affection for this unit," said Roupe. "And after all the years of being a platoon leader, company commander, and now provisional commander in this brigade, I can say it's the highlight of my career."